1. We commit to being champions for every child; to advocate for children’s voices to be listened to.

2. We commit to providing accessible, inclusive, intergenerational outdoor spaces for children and their families to play.

3. We commit to educating parents and wider society about the physical, spiritual, and educational benefits of outdoor play.

4. We commit to joining Greta Thunberg and children across the globe in fighting for our planet to save our play environments.

5. We commit to developing an information hub for parents, communities, and families that advocates for the value of play for life.

6. We commit to providing education and training for all early childhood educators, primary schools, secondary schools and all other educational establishments in outdoor play – particularly of importance of play in learning.

7. We commit to creating spaces for meaningful, every-day participation and child-led projects in the outdoors.

8. We commit to providing every child with time and space to engage with play experiences that reflect their needs, interests, and strengths - allowing them to reach their full potential.

9. We commit to celebrating, valuing, and prioritising natural outdoor play spaces in all aspects of Irish society.

10. We commit to bringing children under the one system – bringing unity to the terms ‘education’ and ‘care’ – to ensure the Government build purposeful and holistic play spaces.

11. We commit to fighting for universal understanding of the importance of quality outdoor play experiences at governmental level ensuring co-ordinated policy across sectors such as education, health, and insurance regulation.

12. We commit to changing regulations to include size specifications for outside areas for all new buildings and education settings.

13. We commit to advocating for the Government to provide legislation to protect services against litigation.

14. We commit to using our scholarly knowledge to advocate for greater national funding and play resources for services and communities.

15. We commit to establishing a national play advocacy group – Play Ireland.

16. We commit to a European collaboration and exchange of knowledge and experiences which will be used to inform policy.

17. We commit to provoking a change in culture to allow and celebrate risky play.

18. We commit to the development of a transportation system which will allow children and families to access their wider community and country.

19. We commit to providing a green space with an ecological system for children to play in per every 35 new homes built.

20. We commit to protecting children’s right to play (Article 31) and a say in matters which affect them (Article 12) as stated in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child.

Sign your name and organisation in the comments section if you agree to commit to the manifesto above.

The manifesto contains 20 co-created commitments by the delegates of The State of Outdoor Play in Ireland symposium, held on 25th May 2019, in Maynooth University. The event was co-funded by Maynooth University and CEMEA France. Please read the symposium programme or contact Sinead Matson at sinead.matson@mu.ie for further information.

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